When The Sun Rises
by Kuko-chan
Summary: Post-Hourglass sequel to "After The Sun Sets". Sora and Riku return home to see their parents and reveal new revelations. How will their parents take the news? One-shot RxS


Pre-A/N: This is a sequel to "After The Sun Sets" which is part of the "Hourglass" series. While "ATSS" doesn't necessarily need the backstory of "Hourglass" to make sense, this one probably needs "Hourglass" to be read to understand what they're talking about. Hope you enjoy it and sorry for taking so long to churn this out.

**When the Sun Rises**

The first rays of sunlight broke over the horizon, reflecting off the rippling waves and slowly flooding the small one-room tree house on Play Island next to Destiny Island. Sora cracked open one eye, waking at a leisurely pace, feeling a little groggy but otherwise refreshed and relaxed. He stretched his arms out, getting his muscles used to moving after hours of sleep, only to have his hand smack into a body next to him.

"Ow…" muttered a tired voice. Sora winced.

"Sorry Riku," he quickly apologized. "I guess I'm still getting used to having someone sleeping right beside me." He paused, looking positively devilish. "Want me to kiss it better?" Riku gave him a sarcastic smile and sat up, but quickly hissed in discomfort and thought better of it, lying back down.

"I owe you big time," he muttered, rubbing out his lower back. He then began muttering out a few choice curse words.

"Oh don't be such a big baby," Sora laughed, hugging Riku close. "It can't be that bad!" Riku shot him a death glare.

"You wanna feel for yourself? I'd be more than happy to demonstrate on _your_ ass."

"Is that an invitation?" Sora purred, nipping lightly at Riku's collarbone. Riku's annoyance quickly melted away as Sora's hands began roaming across his chest.

"As much as I'd love to follow up on my threat, I think we have somewhere we should be this morning." Sora ignored Riku as he trailed kisses lower. "Sora, are you listening to me? We have to go see our parents. They're probably worried si-iiaahh…" Riku trailed off as Sora tongue made it to a rather sensitive area. "You hussy…"

"You love it," Sora murmured. "C'mon, I doubt they're going to miss us an extra half hour." He could see the internal battle raging in Riku's head and the evitable victory to his lustful side.

"Fine, half an hour, but then we're going home, got it?" Sora put on his best innocent look and nodded. Riku rolled his eyes and captured Sora's lips in a passionate kiss.

oOoOo

Sometime later, well past the half hour limit Riku had set, Sora and Riku found themselves walking the streets of their neighbourhood, albeit limping slightly, grinning all the while. They went to Sora's house first, mainly because they knew Sora's mother would take their return better than Riku's parents. It would give them a chance to catch their breaths, so to speak, before plunging into the unavoidable sob storm that would break out at Riku's house.

Sora took a deep steadying breath, staring down the front door to his house. The last time he had stood there, it was right after he had told Riku's parents that their son was dead, or so he thought at the time. It was at this doorstep that Sora had seen his mother in the worst shape he had ever seen her in. It was in this very spot that she had slapped him for supposedly running away. Sora found himself smiling wistfully at that memory, touching his cheek tenderly as if it still bore the bruise that had faded nearly a week ago.

He gave a start when he felt a hand on his shoulder giving him a comforting squeeze and bringing him back to reality.

"Relax," Riku said, kissing Sora's temple. "It'll be fine." Sora closed his eyes, nodding to give himself confidence. He took out his house keys and unlocked the door, pushing it open. The front hallway was empty, save for a few pairs of shoes, including Kairi's trademark purple converse shoes. Sora smiled upon recognizing the shoes. It meant that Kairi had showed up ahead of them to hopefully brace Sora's mother for his return.

Within seconds of them entering the small house, they heard movement and noise down the hall in the kitchen. Sora and Riku made their way into the kitchen where Sora's mother was cooking breakfast and Kairi was drinking a cup of tea.

"Hello, boys," Kairi greeted, hiding a knowing smirk behind her tea cup. Sora's mother spun around upon hearing that. "Have fun last night?" Sora threw a glance at his mother, but she seemed to have missed the suggestive tone in Kairi's voice, too caught up in the moment of seeing her only child again. She turned the stove off and rushed forward to embrace Sora. She didn't sob, nor did she cry out in happiness. She simply hugged Sora, as if that was all she needed to confirm he was safe and sound. After a full minute, she pulled back, looking Sora up and down. Sora stared back, observing that she looked healthier than she did the previous week. The deep bags under her eyes had vanished and her fiery spirit was back. He unconsciously prepared himself for another smack, just in case.

"Are you hungry?" she asked, smiling. "I made bacon and eggs." Sora and Riku exchanged glances, having expected more of a fanfare or a demand to know what had happened in the last few months.

"I filled her in on everything," Kairi explained, reading the confused expressions on her boys' faces. The confusion cleared up and the two took a seat at the table while Sora's mother returned to the stove to finish cooking the last pieces of bacon. "Everything except _one_ thing. I think you know what I'm talking about." Kairi raised her eyebrows in a suggestive manner as she picked herself up from the table. "Thank you for the tea, Mrs. Kaikatsu. I gotta get going. My foster parents aren't comfortable with me being away from the house for more than a few minutes at a time anymore." She winked as she left the room.

Sora and Riku looked at each other, having a silent conversation about whether or not _now_ was the time to tell their parents about their new relationship. Sora looked nervous and hesitant, but Riku subtly nodded, as if to say 'We have to. She's your mom!' Sora sighed, acknowledging defeat at the hands of the truth. But it could wait until after he was well-fed.

Mrs. Kaikatsu finished cooking and set two plates of food in front of the hungry young men. It wasn't until the food was there in front of them that they realised just how hungry they really were and they immediately dug in. Sora's mother watched contently as they ate like there was no tomorrow and waited until they were done before she started talking, ensure she had their full attention.

"So what was that _one_ thing Kairi said you two had to tell me?" she asked, smirking a little. Sora nearly choked on his food. So she had been listening after all.

"Yeah, about that…" It's now or never, he told himself. "Uh… how much did Kairi tell you exactly?"

"You're some kind of warrior with a weapon that can unlock hearts?" She tilted her head to the side in a tired sort of way. "I wouldn't have believed her two weeks ago. But after that little light show you put on last week before running off again – which, by the way, I'm still not happy about and you're grounded for a year, mister – it's hard to doubt any of the things she told me. Plus, I spoke with Riku's parents." Riku shifted uncomfortably at the mention of his parents. "They were quite distraught. They seemed to be under the impression that you were dead, Riku." Mrs. Kaikatsu folded her arms in a disapproving motherly sort of way. "I certainly hope you're planning on visiting them sometime soon. So they know you're alive, hmm?" Riku nodded, feeling a little shame, as if somehow he were putting off going home and facing his worried parents. They knew he was alive. He had visited them before his final battle with Maleficent, but there was so much they'd want to talk about, he was certain of it, and he wasn't sure if he was ready to answer all their questions.

Mrs. Kaikatsu sighed as she rested her elbows on the table, looking Sora in the eyes. "Why didn't you tell me you were going away to fight in a war? Why did you just run off one day last summer?"

Sora laughed nervously. "Would you have believed me if I told you?" His mother's eyes took on a sad expression, as if she were upset to hear that Sora didn't think she would understand the truth.

"Of course I would have believed you! I'm your mother! All I would have asked for was some kind of explanation, even a goodbye note, just something so I wouldn't have gone months thinking I lost my baby to the ocean…" She trailed off, tears welling unbidden in her eyes. She quickly wiped them away, trying her best to stay strong. "I told myself I wouldn't cry, not now…" she whispered more to herself.

"Mom…" Sora took her hand. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I didn't know how long I'd be gone. It wasn't supposed to be a war! But when things got serious, we didn't think about going home. It would have put everyone here in danger. The Heartless would have followed the light of the Keyblade back here and destroyed this world. Everything was happening so fast and spiralling out of control so quickly that there wasn't anytime to think, we just had to act."

Sora's mom went quiet ask she absorbed this. She nodded and grinned. "Somehow I'm not surprised you weren't thinking. It's so typical of you to act before thinking." She leaned forward to ruffle Sora's unkempt hair while Riku laughed and Sora made a noise of protest.

"There's something else," he spoke up once his mother was done poking fun at him. "Um, I'm not sure how to tell you this, but… I… I fell in love while I was gone." Mrs. Kaikatsu's eyebrows shot into her hairline.

"Really?" she said excitedly. "You met someone on your travels?"

"Not exactly." Sora resisted the urge to look to Riku for help. He had to do this himself. "I always knew him. I guess I've always been in love with him."

"Him?" Mrs. Kaikatsu's voice was flat. She was silent for a few seconds before her eyes flickered over to Riku and they lit up. "Oh? OH!" She covered her mouth in shock. "You're in love with Riku?" Sora nodded slowly as Riku took his hand to give him moral support. Sora's mom sat back in surprise, trying to come to terms with this revelation. She suddenly blurted out, "Does he know?" Sora let out a loud chuckle while Riku suppressed his own laughter.

"Of course he does! We've been in a relationship for about two weeks."

"I… I don't know what to say." She sat back again, overcome by astonishment. Sora waited patiently for her to either give her approval or to declare her condemnation. She chuckled quietly, looking up. "I guess there goes my chance to be a grandmother. Unless you decided to adopt." It took a few seconds for Sora to catch up with what she said. He laughed a little.

"So you're not…mad or… upset?"

"Sora, you're my son. Of course I'm not upset! I support you no matter who you love." She paused thoughtfully. "Unless he was a psycho murderer." She laughed pleasantly at her own joke as she took a sip of her coffee, completely unaware of the uncomfortable shifting of her two companions. Riku wasn't a psycho, but he certainly wasn't innocent either. "So now what? Are you here to stay? Or will you be running off again in three months?"

"If the universe is in danger again in three months, then yes, I will have to leave." Sora tried his best to smile. "But for now, I'm staying here. If I ever have to leave again, I'll let you know next time." Mrs. Kaikatsu nodded slowly, looking a little sad.

"You've really grown up…" She took Sora's hand gingerly, as if afraid he'd pull away. "You're not the little boy I used to read bedtime stories to. You grew up and I'm just realising this now." A few tears slid down her face. "But you'll always be my baby. Even when you're grey and old, you'll still be my baby." Sora smiled, feeling his own eyes starting to fill with tears.

"I'm fine with that. 'Cuz you'll always by my mom. Even when I'm halfway across the universe fighting evil, I'll be fighting for you." When they hugged, it was like they had reached a newfound understanding. Riku smiled at the scene, vaguely reminded of the moment when he and his parents had shared an understanding after the truth of his time away had been revealed. He found himself feeling homesick, longing to see his parents again. This was different than the first time he came home from fighting Heartless. The first time, he knew it'd be difficult because he'd had to endure the nightmares and pain on his own with only Sora and Kairi to support him. But now he had his parents to count on.

oOoOo

Shortly after the touching scene between Sora and his mother, the two young men made their exit to visit Riku's home. They walked the short distance between Sora and Riku's houses and quietly slipped in the front door. Riku cleared his throat awkwardly as he slid off his shoes.

"Mom, dad, I'm home!" he called to the other occupants of his house. He heard footsteps from the living room bounding towards him and a moment later, he was surrounded by two pairs of arms engulfing him in a tight warm hug.

"Oh Riku, you're home!" he heard his mother say. "We were so worried! Thank goodness you're safe!" Riku didn't respond. He felt overwhelmed being there, surrounded by such a powerful love he hadn't been expecting. He couldn't remember the last time his parents had paid him this much attention. It was such a relief and he allowed himself to sink into the feeling, to simply be loved. When they finally pulled back, they were astonished to see tears rolling down his face. "Oh dear!" Mrs. Jou exclaimed, retrieving a tissue from her apron pocket. "Look at you! You haven't like this cried since your goldfish died when you were 8-years-old!" She delicately dabbed Riku's face with the napkin, drying his tears and disregarding the ones trickling down her own cheeks. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine…" Riku whispered, allowing his mother to fret over his appearance. His voice quivered with emotion. "I'm just so happy to see you guys." He never knew how much he'd missed being treated like a child. There was something so soothing and familiar about it that it didn't matter that he stood nearly a foot taller than his mother and that he was nearing his 19th birthday. The familiarity of her actions drew him back to a comforting time in his life when he didn't have responsibilities or worries, long before the threat of Heartless and real monsters hiding in the darkness.

"Well let's go sit down." Mrs. Jou guided her son to the living room couch, still clutching her tissue, followed closely by Sora and Mr. Jou. It took a few seconds for Riku to stop crying but his parents were patient and understanding.

"So I assume your fight went well?" Mr. Jou sat, patting Riku on the shoulder. "Give that witch the ol' one-two?"

"Riku was amazing!" Sora chimed in, reminding Riku that he was still there. "You shoulda seen him!"

"That's my boy," Mr. Jou chuckled. "No one pushes him around and gets away with it. I remember this one time when he was a kid, there was a bully giving him a hard time and Riku…"

"Dad, Sora knows the story, he was there," Riku laughed.

"Ah, well I'm just rambling anyway. You boys hungry? Your mother made breakfast."

"Oh don't worry, we ate at my place," Sora answered. Mr. Jou nodded approvingly.

"So what happens now?" Mrs. Jou asked timidly, afraid that by asking the question, she would prompt her son to leave again.

"Well, as far as we know, the universe is safe," Riku answered. "We can all rest a little easier. But…" Mrs. Jou pursed her lips in a worried fashion, gripping the tissue in her hand tightly. "But if something comes up… I'll let you know." She relaxed visibly and released a sigh of relief.

"But that won't be for a while, right?"

"I hope so. I've missed home so much, I just want to sleep for a year."

"Been there, done that, not as glamorous as it sounds," Sora laughed. Riku joined in but his parents looked perplexed.

"Anyway, there's something else I want to talk about. There's something I need you tell you two," Riku started. Mrs. Jou instinctively put a hand over her heart to still the rapid fluttering of her heartbeats.

"Oh no," she gasped. "No more surprises! My heart can't take any more."

"It's not bad," he said with a wry smile. "At least… I don't think it's bad. I don't know how you'll react…" He steeled himself and launched into it without hesitation. "Sora and I are together." There was a pregnant pause as his parents absorbed this statement. Mr. Jou was the first to break the silence, clearing his throat awkwardly.

"Together how?" he asked gruffly, well aware of the answer but needing to confirm it regardless.

"You know how, dad," Riku said quietly. "We're dating. We're a couple. We're in love."

"Love?" Mrs. Jou blurted out unexpectedly. She was about to launch into a diatribe about how Riku was too young to understand what love truly was, but she stopped herself, realising how silly it would be to lecture him about his age when he was well past the age of majority and the years away from home had matured him anyway. "You're… sure it's love? Are you sure it's not just… really… strong… friendship?" She managed a weak smile, despite her internal disapproval. She thought well of Sora, like her own son, but there was something simply wrong about the idea of him being romantically involved with Riku. Both young men could sense the tension rising.

"I'm perfectly sure." He took Sora's hand as if to demonstrate. "I would die for him."

"Oh please don't!" Mrs. Jou said quickly, gripping her forehead. "We already lost you once and that's enough for one lifetime, thank you very much." She struggled to make eye contact. "I don't know how to feel about this. I mean… he is a boy, after all."

"Really? I hadn't noticed…" Riku muttered under his breath. "Look, I know it's gonna take some time to get used to, but you two are reasonable parents. Is it really a big deal that Sora and I are both boys? All that should matter is that we're in love. We're happy together." A hush came over the group in which Riku's parents looked at each other, silently debating whether or not they accepted this new part of their son.

"I think…" Mr. Jou finally said after a time. "If we were willing to still accept you as our loving son despite all those atrocities you claim you committed, then this is hardly the worst thing you could tell us. You're still our son and you always will be."

"Just keep the kissing to a minimum around us," Mrs. Jou quickly added. Riku and Sora laughed, releasing some of the tension and visibly relaxing. It wasn't quite the 'arms-wide-open' response they were hoping for, but it certainly wasn't the revulsion they were expecting and that was good enough for them. In time, Riku knew they would come to accept their relationship like any other.

"I know I don't say it often enough, but I really do love you guys," he said, smiling wide. The last six months of his life had given him a whole new perspective and he was going to do everything in his power to ensure that every moment of his life from there on out mattered. Never again would he take things for granted, especially people in his life that he loved.

Mr. and Mrs. Jou smiled warmly. "We love you too, sweetheart."

oOoOo

Kairi hummed pleasantly to herself as she walked down the quiet empty streets of Destiny Island towards her home. She paused thoughtfully when she turned a corner and got a clear view of the vast blue ocean cresting over a hill. The sun was about half way up the sky, shining brilliantly across the waves, and the wind carried the fresh scent of salt water throughout the village. She smiled broadly, taking a deep breath and looking heavenward.

Ever since the final battle where she had received eternal enlightenment from Kingdom Hearts, everything seemed different now, precious somehow. Much of the cosmic knowledge she had gained had faded by now, but there was always a lingering feeling like she was the mother of all creation and that protectiveness had given her a new point of view regarding life and the universe itself. She had a new appreciation for it, one that went well beyond the standard 'stop to smell the roses' kind of attitude. She understood that the universe had it flaws and some things would never change, but then again, that's the way it should be. She loved them all.

She looked over her shoulder back towards where she had left Riku and Sora. Her boys. She was so proud of them, everything they had become, what they had accomplished, and the path they were choosing to follow. They had come a long way from the two pubescent boys vying for her affection only to find love in one another. The bonds that tied them all together had never been stronger. Not even the legendary paopu fruit could further reinforce their unbreakable friendship and love.

As Kairi left the beautiful scene of the ocean behind her and began heading homeward once more, she wondered how life would turn out for all of them. Where would the strings of Destiny take them next? Whatever it was, she and her boys would be ready. Until then, she would bask in the warmth of home and family. With a melodic giggle, she broke into a sprint, eager to get home and see her parents.

She stopped when she arrived at her front porch, leaning on the side of her house to catch her breath. She took one final look around the garden her foster mother had lovingly put together, a variety of gorgeous pinks and yellows in a sea of green grass and stems. Kairi stooped low, despite herself, and gently brought the closest rose to her nose, inhaling its delicate fragrance. She stood up straight and opened her front door, pausing over the threshold and looking back.

And as an afterthought to it all, she whispered, "Life is good."

~Fin~

oOoOo

A/N: I regret that this took so long to write because I feel that the Hourglass interest has waned among readers, but if you're reading this now, then it means that you were still interested enough to know what happened next in our heroes' lives. I still have a few more one-shots left I want to write, but I'm not sure how long it'll take to do and I don't want to make promises or leave you hanging, so all I will tell you is pop by every now and again to see if I've got anything new, but don't be surprised if you find nothing. I know that doesn't sound encouraging, but keep faith! :) Drop me a line sometime and let me know how I'm doing. I wanted to tie up a few loose ends with the trio before moving onto Sky's story. Thanks for reading!


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